Towards the history of theatre architecture of the 19th century

In the book “Towards the history of theatre architecture of the 19th century” four latest research articles on the four known examples of theatre architecture are presented. Of these four monuments,
three have not survived: The Summer Theatre of Tiflis (1870), The Borjomi Summer Theatre (1895), The Theatre of the Noble Bank in Tiflis (1878). An exception is the Kvemo Machkhaani Village Theatre (1897) - one of the oldest surviving theatre buildings in Georgia.

These theatre buildings, built in the second half of the 19th century in Tbilisi and in the Georgian provinces, have been researched on the basis of analysis, identification and comparison with other sources of existing graphic and documentary materials (projects, designs, sketches, official correspondence, photographs, etc.) found in the archives, museum funds and storage chambers. The
“reconstruction” of the history of the theatre buildings, together with the archival materials, is based on the press of the time, periodical publications of an informative nature, memoirs, etc. Some of these
are published for the first time.

The study of the theatre buildings of Tbilisi, Borjomi and the village of Kvemo Machkhaani significantly expands our knowledge not only about theatre life and theatre architecture of the 19th century, but also gives us a clear idea of the level of social and cultural development of that time.